Laws on apostasy offences violate rights, says counsel

PUTRAJAYA: Laws that govern offences involving apostasy and acts that are inconsistent with Islam are violating the fundamental right to freedom of religion, a counsel submitted at the Federal Court. 

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, who represented four Kelantanese who wanted to renounce Islam without being subjected to the repentance procedure by the state religious council, said there was no valid basis for any law requiring certification by the Syariah Court as a pre-condition to renunciation. The pre-condition, he said, was a fetter to freedom of religion.